Showing posts with label Effleurage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Effleurage. Show all posts
What you need to know to get into massage therapy
Here are some of the things you may want to consider when starting out a career in massage therapy.
1. Know the massage that you want to do
One of the main considerations that you have to look into before you start your massage therapy career is what massage to specialize in. Like the medical field, massage therapists now have specializations. Each will be identified to a particular field. This is brought on by the kind of training that they will take before they become full-pledged massage therapists. The best way to do this is to research on the different kinds of massages and see what you are most comfortable doing.
There are a lot of considerations when making this choice. One of the factors that may affect their decisions is what kind of clinical setting they want to work in. Working in spas and commercial massage clinics will only require you to be adept at massages that seek to relax the muscles.
This is of course easier to study and much easier to do compared to massages that are much more technical in nature, which is usually done in the clinical setting. However, the advantage with more technical and scientific massage strokes is higher pay and of course more professionalized.
2. Physical problems
Massage therapy involves a lot of physical work. Every day, you will be servicing the clients with a hard or soft massage as well as helping them lie back in the massage table and also in disrobing. It is a very hard job and can be physically taxing. Before you get into a career in massage therapy, make sure that you can take on the job and deal with its physical requirements.
3. Time to study
Because of the way the industry has been regulated by the state, becoming a massage therapist will involve first a lot of years of study. Some states in fact require therapists to have at least three years in specialization. If you need to earn money right away and don’t have time to study first, thisis not the career for you. You will be better off with jobs that do not really require a training certificate or a diploma.
4. Good with people
Another thing to consider when you want to have a career in massage therapy is communication with people. Remember that you will mostly be earning your money from the tips and not actually in the salary that the clinic gives you. For you to get big tips, you also need to be sociable and to communicative with people. Clients love therapists who talk to them and those who listen to their problems. If you are a little bit anti-social, this is not the career for you.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tQR_C2IQUMz1xtwPV-94QDOIUBfYqKogVAITaAPETTarNMVNccvVuzYKZisdUwyl9Rfm_DtpfGQG_0JUcbTY7yLq2MwEmQOFt3s9oMyCLh6qr3kUHpIXBMDbMshDro7GedPIdFFBk7lrIz8grvMaU=s0-d)
How to Become a Massage Therapist
Those who want to become massage therapists should enroll in a program that is accredited by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork or NCBTMB. To become a licensed professional, you must complete at least 500 hours of training including subjects such as ethics, anatomy and physiology among others.
If you happen to study massage therapy in a school that is not accredited by this body, you will not be allowed to take the national certification exam. This may prevent you from practicing in states that require this prior to employment which is why you should check first if the school you plan to enroll in is in the program.
Should you somehow be able to find work without getting a license, you could be penalized with fines and even be banned from every practicing there.
The advantage of enrolling in a program under the NCBTMB is that you can apply for federal financial aid if you don’t have the funds to pay for your schooling.
But the big question is how much do massage therapists earn? One research group has pointed out the median salary is $45,611. The report also says that half of those working earn between $36,930 and $55,920 as this varies with experience. If you are new, you will probably just have one or two clients a day while more experienced individuals will have more than 5. This isn’t bad because massage therapy program can go as high as $12,000.
If you are serious about pursuing this as a career, ask yourself some questions. Are you patient? Are you customer oriented? Do you really want to help the patient? If your answer to all three questions is yes then the next thing you have to do is check what specific interests do you have.
Just like medicine, massage therapy has various specialties and these include sports massage, clinical massage and Swedish massage to name a few. While you will probably learn all of these in school, you should already see which one you want specialize in after graduation.
To help you out, it will be a good idea to visit massage parlors and talk to those who are already working. You can also do some research online as there are articles that have been written about the profession.
Once you get your degree and the license, you have the option of working for someone or opening up your own establishment. This will be easy if you had the capital since you will need to buy your own massage table, chairs, pillows, sheets and lotions. But if you want to learn first, then go find work, learn the tricks of the trade and then set up shop.
Now that you know how to become a massage therapist, the ball is already in your court. The right attitude will get you through school because with that you will be able to understand the techniques in helping a customer.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sq1Lkc0RntMpbPNn299LM4lVrOaZB3Q9Yzk5vddTWxbIHJCtuQGTFnXrtA5tWQzY7oZCsINnEkXx3-iQG7JFvaRJWZYi9BkrC0p1ETxL0tW4ovRztagg4IXv43U0Ss_zecoVpup3zpGUPiW7uWxNKW=s0-d)
How to set up a massage therapy clinic
Before you get disheartened by this, remember that when you plan it right, any business can be a potential cash cow. Here are some tips on how to set up a massage therapy clinic that is guaranteed to make money.
1. Location
With so many massage clinics in the area, you would want a location that guarantees a lot of foot traffic. As much as possible look for places that are near major public areas like the park, schools, markets and even department stores. Being near public places will help you in terms of publicity. You are already being seen. All you actually need is a set of signboards announcing your services and of course a good display window. Another reason why it is good to place your clinic in a public area is the fact that when people walk by all the time, some of them would think of trying your services.
2. Services
Your location is just the design of your product. It is the one that you use to encourage people to get a taste of your massage therapy clinics. But what will make your business thrive and last is the service that you provide to your clients. Once they try your services and find it to their satisfaction, they will be your lifelong customers.
One way to do this is to include a unique service that one cannot find in other massage clinics in the area. Research on some ancient massage techniques that no clinic is offering yet. Introduce the massage in the area. For sure, you will be an instant hit. People by nature would want to try something new. Make sure though that you can sustain the new service through training employees and using products that are appropriate to the massage.
3. Employees
Another way to build a successful massage therapy franchise is to hire people who can do the job for you. Of course when you are starting, you will not be able to afford people who are already experienced. Because of this, it will be up to you to train your employees. That is why it is also important that if you are setting up a massage clinic that you know a lot about the industry. You must know for yourself how to massage people. Otherwise, you must know someone who knows the massage therapy techniques. That way, he or she can be the one to train your new employees.
4. Ambiance
Another important part of the massage therapy business is the ambiance. People go there to relax so you must also create a relaxing and comforting environment, somewhere where your clients can escape to.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sRhszIgS8bAswqNAwI9K96kpU8gE-stIZR5W_Job7jb98oP-4p72DtSMRaJ5cvPnkYVmM8Eo3bWlRGluQrrD_HctT9ZSCsQhgR52sM9hhid0gBqA9zpi9K7mXa7liaCEGZDitQTw8kx9AJ1HtTVeHg=s0-d)
How to land a job in a massage therapy clinic
This is perhaps because of the fact that people are looking for ways to relax after a hard day’s work. This is especially true for people who live in the city where life is more fast-paced. Another reason is the continued publicity coming from celebrities. Massage therapy is becoming a fad.
Because of this, many people are looking into the massage therapy industry for jobs. Although the pay is not lucrative enough for most people, the tips can be pretty amazing especially if you already have a steady list of clients. If you are one of those people wanting to have a career in this industry, here are some ways on how to land that job.
1. Get some training
Unlike other professionals, you don’t need a degree to be able to land a job in a massage therapy clinic. Most clinics do not even require college degrees especially for starting employees. This does not mean however that you won’t make an effort to learn the job. One way that you can get a massage therapy job easily is to get some training on massages.
Remember that in the job, you will not just knead the shoulder blades and back of your clients in the directions that you want. You will also have to follow certain massage techniques. It is a plus point to know even a little of these techniques before you apply for a job.
2. Visit massage therapy clinics
One way to get to know the industry is to observe first hand what goes on inside these clinics. Visit some of them in your spare time. Look at their list of massages and if you can, observe how they do the massages. Check out the directions of their massages and the products that they use on their customers. While there, formulate any questions that you have because for sure you will have.
You can use these observations, questions and your experience inside the massage therapy clinics during your job interview. Employers are impressed with potential employees who are interested in the job enough to make such observations.
3. Ask the massage therapists
Ask people who are already working in massage therapy clinics about their experiences. That way, you will know what to expect when you are there on the job. Ask about the hours that they put in, the tips that they get every day, their monthly salary. You can even ask for their worst experiences in the job. This will also help you decide if the massage therapy industry is the one that you want to get into.
Don’t be afraid to ask. Often, they will be more than happy to help you through their insights. You can even ask them if there are any vacancies in their clinics. If you can, leave your number with them so that they can contact you should a vacancy come up. Remember, most of these clinics will not advertise job openings. They would just rely on referrals.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_swa7F6GVsU63EoporWjLwqienlBR9zT8bTbzQHTOhROyggFmNHg18LirrwFLjq2hzWcQ8yZGdxwjcDSSmSZk6jVa7TmZpAtlrybFlz3wLxKD1FdbvK4cpCO29XENX_kW7B_q8ppCwtu5tsMgo_F7g=s0-d)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
